The Gossiping Gourmet: Kona Grill is a global experience

Another new restaurant has opened in the Spectrum in Irvine, the Kona Grill. And it looks like it will be a big hit.

It is part of the Kona Grill chain, which opened in 1998 and now has 25 restaurants across the country.

This is the first California outpost, and it is a large and attractive space with indoor and outdoor seating. The main dining area has lots of bar space and windows, creating a sense of cohesion with the outdoor space. The décor theme is blue, with big, tall tubes of blue bubbles bobbing up and down and blue lights everywhere.

Adding to the ambience are floor-to-ceiling windows, beautiful wood flooring, various seating areas and, of course, many TVs. The kitchen has a big rounded glass window so diners can watch the action.

Guests can also dine and drink in the lounge area, which features a very attractive stone wall and comfortable seating.

The menu is notable in that one side features more of a standard listing while the other side is all about sushi and sashimi.

I felt that I needed to select my meal mainly from one side or the other. My dining companion and I began with pot stickers. They were big, meaty and plump with an excellent thin wrapping that had crunchy edges. Including was a tasty dipping sauce on the side and thin strips of red peppers and sweet cabbage slaw.

Our waitress recommended the Picasso roll, which she said was a house favorite, from the Kona rolls section. It was easy to see why it was a favorite. The presentation of the eight rolls was very pretty. They were in a circle of rice balls filled with avocado and yellowtail and then topped with rings of jalapenos and slices of more yellowtail.

Thin strips of shredded white radish filled in the middle. The dish was completed with togarishi, cilantro, spicy sriracha and yuzu ponzo sauce with lemon and soy. This was a real winner.

Going back to the regular menu, we opted for something very different — jambalaya. This traditional Cajun dish was loaded with flavor, crawfish, chicken and andouille sausage all soaking up a mélange of flavors and jambalaya sauce. White rice tamed it a bit.

Our final entrée was Pad Thai noodles, with chicken, rice noodles, bean sprouts and crushed peanuts all soaking up spicy sauce. This was just OK, not quite on a par with the rest.

Other of featured items include spicy shrimp tempura from the starter menu and Kona chopped salad with macadamia nut chicken, bacon, avocado, cheddar and honey Dijon dressing.

I was tempted by the fudge brownie for dessert. It sounded good but, alas, it was disappointing. The very large piece of fudge brownie was underdone and quite gooey. The vanilla ice cream, caramel and cream sauce saved it a bit.

Other entrees include the New York strip steak, miso sake sea bass and basil pesto linguine.

I think it could take several different visits to really do service to this extensive menu.

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KONA GRILL

Location: 623 Fortune Drive, Irvine

Hours: Opens at 11 a.m. daily. Closing hours vary.

Prices:

Appetizers: $6 to $13.50

Entrees: $19 to $33.50

Desserts: $8.75

Wine:

Bottles: $28 to $122.50

By the glass: $8 to $17.25

Corkage: none currently

Information: (949) 535-1010